The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2007
21
Love.
Sex.
Purple.
Pur P
There are few musicians
I'd consider to be totally
unique. -
Prince is a dif-
ferent category
in and of him-
self.
Prince is a
guitar god, a
wildly talented I
producer and a LLOYD H.
heaving, pant- CARGO
ing, steamy
purple sex symbol. His appeal is
absolutely undeniable. Hell, even
I'd blow him.
While Prince isn't as ubiquitous as
he was in the '80s, it's worth exam-
ining just how the diminutive funk-
purveyor from Minnesota could
craft such a heady reputation. (As a
side note, the only reason you should
sell a Prince CD is if you can't get it
up anymore. In that scenario I could
understand it might be emotionally
difficult to keep around.)
The most notorious culprit of
Prince's risque menagerie is prob-
ably Lovesexy (featuring Prince
naked on a purple flower), although
Dirty Mind (with him in the little
black Speedo) is a close second.
I firmly believe there's a spot
reserved in everyone's hearts,
minds and loins for Prince. You
have to be pretty confident in your
sexuality to hang the poster that
came with the Purple Rain LP on
your wall - a big step from hum-
ming along to "1999."
I do want to stress that Prince
is an extremely gifted musician,
worthy of praise not solely based on
his sexual prowess. As he admitted
to Dick Clark in an 1980 "American
Bandstand" appearance, he plays
"thousands" of instruments. He's
consistently shown his musical
integrity, beginning by refusing a
record contract at age 15 because
"they wouldn't let me produce
myself." Later, he changed his name
to an unpronounceable symbol in
order to escape his "slavery" to his
record label. Still, it's impossible
to separate Prince's music and his
sex appeal - they're so inescapably
intertwined.
If you still dont believe me,
there's video evidence. Allow me
to set the scene: You're watch-
ing a James Brown concert in
Los Angeles from 1983. The clip
begins with Brown calling up
Michael Jackson. MJ kills every-
one by singing a verse and bust-
ing out a few signature dance
moves. As everyone is going
wild, he's whispering something
in JB's ear. JB walks up to micro-
phone and, gesticulating wildly
toward MJ, says, "and give him a
big round of applause, because he
insisted that I introduce Prince!"
The Godfather proceeds to scan
the audience until all of a sud-
den Prince appears - riding on
the shoulders of a giant, bearded
man. He walks on stage, ambles
past Brown and grabs the lead
guitarist's axe. He brings the
tempo down with some slashing
funk rhythm, then proceeds to
stop playing, and starts to fuck
his guitar, with the occasional
punctuating chord. After a little
more guitar teasing, Prince
shakes the strap off and ditches
his shirt to wild applause.
I get a little worked up just
thinking about it. He hardly has
to play or sing a note to own the
stage, and don't forget the feat
was infinitely more remarkable
as he followed both The Godfa-
ther of Funk and the King of Pop.
I admonish you to buy a few
Prince albums. Start with Purple
Rain, and go from there, and
you'll feel like a new man (or
woman) in no time. While he's
surely not poor, you owe it to the
nman - you were probably con-
ceived to his music.
- Feb. 12, 2007
By MATT KIVEL The seats at Hill Auditorium "When I'm 64" in honor of his own
Daily Music Editor were filled near to capacity with 64th year and stumbled gleefully
a crowd dominated by long-time through McCartney's quintessen-
Mar. 19, 2007 -A year after Soul Ann Arbor residents and older fans. tially British lyrical take on grow-
Jazz released the brilliant 2006 With the lights dimmed, Gil strolled ing old.
compilation Tropicalia: A Brazil- on stage with his arms raised above A segment of the performance
ian Revolution in Sound, Ann Arbor his head, smiling at the adoring was devoted to a bilingual rendi-
finally got its taste of the legendary crowd. His warmth and passion for tion of "Nightingale" from his 1979
movement in Gilberto Gil's captivat- musical expression were a welcome crossover album of the same title.
ing performance on Friday night. change from the often cold and pre- He often spoke fondly of his fellow
As one of Tropicalia's founding tentious performers who come to Tropicalistas, Caetano Veloso and
fathers, Gil has enjoyed an innova- Hill's spacious front room. Jorge Ben. An inspired rendition
tive career spanning nearly 6 dec- Gil calmly strummed through of Bob Marley's "No Woman No
ades. His persistent involvement songs from all periods of his career, Cry" worked the crowd into a fren-
in both social and political causes allowing his versatile singing voice zy at the close of his main set, and
lead to his 2003 appointment as to dominate the cavernous concert a rapturous ovation ushered him
the Brazilian Minister of Culture, hall. Wry commentary often fol- back onto the stage for an inspired
and Gil's music has always reflect- lowed the music and his charm was encore ofclassicGil compositions. It
ed his deeply personal ideals and immediately endearing. He played a was a night to bask in Gil's genuine
opinions. bossa nova rendition of the Beatles' warmth and exquisite songwriting.
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